A refuse worker died when a dustcart reversed into him and crushed him after a safety feature had been switched off, an inquest heard.

John Head, who worked at the Veolia plant in Military Road, Folkestone, for 20 years, died instantly when a he was run over by a vehicle at the recycling transfer station.

Several of Mr Head's family were in court as the hearing was held before a jury today.

The inquest heard how an automatic braking system designed to stop vehicles when objects were behind them had been disabled by the driver.

Clifford White was reversing the dustcart which Mr Head fell under on Friday, October 18 2013.

He described how his banksman Peter Hudson was on his near side as Mr Head walked across the yard from the opposite side of his dustcart.

He said: "I'm reversing back and checking my mirrors all the time to make sure I don't hit the truck behind and the next thing I know is he's holding his arms out to stop."

Mr White, a driver with more than 40 years experience, gave evidence saying he had disabled the system to make his manoeuvre easier.

He told the inquest drivers did this to stop the brakes being applied when they reversed up to walls or loading bays.

"It should still bleep at you in the cab. I don't recall it bleeping," he said.

"He jumped out and I assumed he was going to the toilet and that was the last time I saw him. I heard a scream and shouts to get an ambulance" - David Cokely

But tests carried out by HSE specialist Charles Simmons-Jacobs, a chartered engineer, revealed the Sentinel safety system - the automatic braking system and the alarm inside the cab - fitted to the vehicles as well as the external warning alarm were functioning.

He added there were inconsistencies with the detection zone regarding the exact distances at which both the alarm inside the cab and brakes were triggered.

But he confirmed had the brake override not been activated, the brakes would have been applied.

He was unable to confirm if this would have saved Mr Head from going underneath the vehicle but believed the brakes would have been applied if Mr Head entered the detection zone as a result of the tests showing the system was not faulty.

Kevin Golding, an inspector at the Health and Safety Executive, said it was reasonable to expect drivers to turn the system off when operating in such a tight space.

He added changes have since been made at the site to reduce the amount of reversing around the site which he described as having "significant hazards".

Video: Reporter Matt Leclere spoke to Mr Head's family after the inquest closed

Mr Golding said: "In terms of the investigation it's still ongoing.

"The important part is reversing should be kept to a minimum.

"But the nature of the site at the time was to reverse a considerable amount.

"It was a very busy yard and a lot of vehicles moving and reversing going on."

He added the HSE had written to Veolia stating it thought "reversing activity was greater than required" breaching legislation.

The court heard site rules were that no pedestrians should be walking across the yard but that Mr Head would have had to be walking about in his role as a loader and banksman for his driver David Cokely.

Mr Cokely, who has been driving dustcarts for nine years, gave evidence.

He said: "We'd finished a load and came back and weighed off.

"There were multiple injuries typical of severe crushing centred on the trunk which were not survivable" - Dr David Rouse, pathologist

"He jumped out and I assumed he was going to the toilet and that was the last time I saw him.

"I heard a scream and shouts to get an ambulance."

He added Mr Head seemed in a good mood and "was looking forward to the weekend".

The father of 10 - from two marriages - missed out on one of his daughter's weddings and the birth of two grandchildren since his death, the court heard.

Det Sgt Darren Manktelow, who led the Kent Police investigation, told the inquest there was not enough evidence for the force to pursue a criminal prosecution.

Pathologist Dr David Rouse ruled out natural causes as a factor in Mr Head's death.

Toxicology reports showed no evidence of alcohol or drugs in his blood and no evidence of any medical cause which would have impaired his ability, Dr Rouse said.

He told the court: "There were multiple injuries typical of severe crushing centred on the trunk which were not survivable."

He confirmed Mr Head died instantly.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict of accidental death.

They concluded there were a number of distractions which contributed to him falling underneath the dustcart but could not establish why he was crossing the yard.